Myra Santiago: Florida mom charged after son, 3, sneaks out and drowns in pond, asks neighbor to lie
ORMOND BEACH, FLORIDA: A woman is facing charges after her son drowned in a nearby pond when he snuck out of their third-floor apartment and was gone for "about eight hours" on Sunday, April 23. Myra Santiago, 22, an Ormond Beach resident, was charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and neglect of a child after her three-year-old son Azriyh drowned and died in a retention pond nearby.
The toddler somehow slipped out of their apartment in San Marco Drive just before 7 am, according to the police report. Just before 2 pm, Ormond Beach Fire Department emergency responders found his body and tried to resuscitate him but their efforts were in vain.
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What happened to Azriyh Santiago?
The youngster was last seen on a neighbor's security camera carrying an electronic tablet while running around the property around 6.46 am before moving to an area behind the apartment a minute later, according to Captain Chris Roos. According to the cops, Santiago was dozing the entire time.
The police report stated, "The video shows Azriyh walking around with what appears to be a tablet with a blue case. He was seen looking around and then ran directly toward the pond when the video ends."
On being questioned by the police, Santiago said that she saw Azriyh around 6 am when he came into her room to ask for the tablet. She added that every day he would follow the same routine. He would take the tablet and go back to his room until it was time for breakfast, as reported by WSAZ.
Around 1.45 pm that day, Santiago claimed to have woken up and found Azriyh gone. When she noticed the crime scene tape and spoke to cops, she began searching the apartment and the neighborhood for him. Santiago, according to Ormond Beach police, gave information that was opposite to what other witnesses, who were questioned, said, per KWCH.
During questioning, some discrepancies popped up. The night before her son went missing, Santiago claimed a 15-year-old male juvenile "friend," who visited their home quite frequently, was sleeping on the couch. However, the teenager, who has not been charged, claimed he slept in her bed. He also claimed that Santiago had taken a shower before she realized her son was missing, but Santiago claimed that it was the teenager who had taken a shower, as reported by FOX.
No child safety locks
Officer Kevin Myers, who searched the residence, reportedly said, "I did not see any child safety locks or devices to prevent [Azriyh] from leaving the apartment, which was located on the third floor." Santiago reportedly told authorities that her son had snuck out many times in the past.
According to the police report, Santiago stated that she lacked funds to purchase a child safety lock, even though Myers discovered more than $100 in cash on her dresser. He also found "numerous glass smoking pipes, marijuana, e-cigarettes and several bottles of alcohol in the freezer," as per Fox. Myers wrote in the report, "There was plenty of evidence to show that Myra had the funds to purchase the lock, but failed to do so."
Santiago told the police that the night before the incident, on Saturday, April 22, she left Azriyh with a neighbor while she went out with a friend to grab some drinks at the Daytona Beach boardwalk. The neighbor, however, told the police in a sworn written statement that she had never watched the child and shared screenshots of messages the 22-year-old sent her, asking her to lie to the cops. Santiago's message read, ''Can you tell the Police you watched Aziryh last night. It’s important girl.'' Then she texted, "'I'm going through so much right now. I came and got him from your place at 2 or 3.'' The last message reads, ''I’ll tell you later about everything I'm freaking out."